Outraged passengers have slammed First Bluebird for axing without warning the X14 service between West Lothian and Glasgow city centre.

Bewildered passengers who boarded the bus on Sunday were advised by the driver that it would be the service’s final trip.

The link was frequently used by pensioners making the 40-minute trip to Glasgow to shop or visit relatives.

Among them was Whitburn gran, Mary Morton (74), who fears the loss of the service will make it difficult for her to visit her two grandchildren in Glasgow.

Her son, Alan, says Mary and her friends have been left feeling stranded and abandoned by transport giant First Bluebird in a move which he insists is a breach of loyal travellers’ trust.

And when passengers protested to the driver, Alan claims the First Bluebird employee told them he “didn’t care and couldn’t wait” for the service to end.

“My mum and those of her generation have been left pretty much high and dry by a decision that has been sneaked through,” said a furious Alan, who sent a strongly-worded letter of complaint to First Scotland East customer adviser Robert Burns.

“Global fuel prices have gone down and they’ve just increased their fares and I’m unclear why no consultation was done or attempts made to reduce the service from five trips a day to two.

“Sadly having our public transport in the hands of a cold calculating profit making company means small communities are always first to go. They are not a local, friendly bus company and pretty much seem to be unregulated.”

He says the First website is complicated and confusing, and information about route changes are difficult to find.

His comments were echoed by Elizabeth Neeson (60) who regularly boarded the X14 bus at a stop outside her Livingston home.

“The same people use the service all the time and they have been badly let down. There was no notification. It is scandalous. To get to Glasgow, I’d have to get a bus to Edinburgh, then catch another bus from Edinburgh to Buchanan Bus Station, or take a train,” fumed Elizabeth, whose Facebook post urges people to bombard First Bluebird with calls even if they didn’t use the X14 service.

“A driver was heard to say the X14 was a subsidised service and they have lost the subsidy. They are obstructing people from seeing their families and that’s not right. When I called to complain, they told me it would take up to 14 days to process my complaint.”

The company was forced to make a U-turn when it withdrew the X14 service back in 2011 after angry protests from passengers.

In response to Alan’s letter, First’s Robert Burns says passengers from Bathgate and Armadale can use service 29 to Falkirk to connect with Glasgow express buses there.

He also points them towards a Citylink coach service from Harthill services to Glasgow, and says the First service 22 from Livingston passes the Harthill stop.

Yet, passengers like Mary and Elizabeth say this is not a feasible alternative for them.

Paul McGowan, managing director of First Blubird, told The Courier: “I appreciate that some passengers may be disappointed by some changes to services but unfortunately there are simply not enough passengers to justify the current level of operation. The services that we’re changing have been operating at a loss, and in the case of the X14 in particular a considerable loss, for several years."